Improvement in railroad air-brakes



A; F.` Muclmmi.`

Car Brake.

PatentedfApr. 25,1865.

N- PETERS PHOTO'UTHSGRAPHER, WASHINGT UNITED STATES PATFNT OFFIcF.

ALEXANDER F. iIICcnoNF., .oF nLLroorrs MILLS, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD AIR-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,440. date'd April 25, 1865'.

To all whom it may concern,.- I I Be it known that I, ALEXANDER F. MC- CRONE, of Ellicotts Mills, Baltimore county, State of Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful Improved SteamBrake and Gar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the nature, construction, and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan of the same. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is a front end view. Fig. 4 is a transverse section in the line a' m, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts'in the several figures.

The object of my invention is to provide a brake mechanism which shall be operated by steam from an apparatus on the locomotive and under the control of the engineer, by which a series of bars, united by connecting- I links between the carsand running the whole length ofthe train, shall by suitable mechanism be made to operate the series of brakes through the whole length of the train. This is accomplished by means of two rackbars on each of the ears, gearing into a pinion in the central transverse timber of each carframe, and connected to the similar rack-bars of the other cars, and utimately to the locomotive, by means of coupling-bars suitably jointed, so as to make a connection the whole length of the train. One of these bars is connected to a piston working in a cylinder on the locomotive, so that it can be longitudinally projected or withdrawn, which has the ei'ect of rotating the pinions, which are engaged by the racks, and through them operating a system ot' levers and connecting-rods, which draw the rubber-blocks against the peripheries of the wheels. rlhis may serve as a sketch of the main features of the invention, leaving it-to be fully detailed under that section ot' this specification which treats of the operation.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to give a description of it.

A A are the longitudinal timbers of the carframe, united by transverse timbers E E D, the latter being the central one, which carries the pinion P, which will be ascertained to be the point of draft of the `car before I get through. I j I I j B B G represent a por-tion of `the frame of the locomotive, or its tender, in the transverse `beam being located a pinion, O. `The carframe is supported upon two trucks, a def scription of one of which will answer for'bhoth, y as they are counterparts and di'erin nothing The above may serve as a description of the f frame and running-gear, and I will now dc-` scribe the brake mechanism and the coupling.

M M are slides which work the blocks n, which form the terminations of the rack- The bars N `N and the bars N N N N. bars N N, respectively, are coupled together by the coupling-bars UU, which are keyed (V) or otherwise fastened to them, giving a suiiicientdegree of iexibility in turning curves and to allow for the jumpingA of the cars. These bars in each case extend the length ot' the car to which they belong, andconnect with j i those of similar character on the next car, `and so on through the length ofthe train. A portion of their mid-length is furnished with cogs, which gear into the pinion P, which, as has been observed, is located in the transverse timber D, midway ofits length, and is mounted on a shaft, R, which connects by a vertically-` adjustable joint with the .shaft Q, which is stepped into the cross-timber P', the `latter being suspended by pedestals J from the timbers A of the frame. Bigidly attached to the shaft Q is a vibrating cross-liead, S, connected I by rods X X with a` lever, Y, pivoted atZ toV I a shaft which rotates in bearings in the side pieces, I, of the truck-frame. lRods a a, connected at points i with the said lever and with the rubber-bar b, bring the rubbers c against the wheels L, when the requisite motions are imparted by means presently to be described.A dis a ratchet-wheel on the frame B B G,

and e f is a pawl and bar, which by suitable I manipulations retains the pinion O at a definite point 'and the brakes in the corresponding position, whatever that ma-y be.

The operation is as follows: Steam being admitted upon the piston at the end Vof the rod N forces the latter toward the rear, rotating the pinions O and P and every other pinion of corresponding character and position through the length of the train.- -This motion throws forward al] the bars Nll N f of the series, as they also gear for a portion of their mid-lengths with the pinions. The motions thus described have no effect to change the relative positions of the cars, which st'ill, as before, are attached by means of the rackbars and couplings, which form a double series lwith teeth facing inward,` and drawing the cars by the engagement of the rackteeth with their pinions O P, Sac. The motion forward or rearward has no eeot on the draft either levers Y Y are revolved, raising the rods X X,

the shaft Q hasthe power of raising to allow the rods X to maintain their horizontal position.

vThe operation ot` checking the ears bythe means thus described will not be accompanied by the surging of the cars one against the other while stopping and starting, and the inconvenience willbe reduced to its minimum, which would merely sway the person a little forward or backward, unaccompanied by jar.

Having thus fully, clearly, and exactly described the nature, construction, and operation of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and, desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

The coupling and brake operating bars eX- tending through the length of the train, and operated by the steam from the engine to rotate the pinions, to whose shafts are attached the crossheads, which connect by suitable rods and levers with the rubber-bars, the whole described arrangement being constructed and operated substantially as described.

The above specication of my combined steam-brake and car coupling signed this 7 th day of February, 1865.

ALEXANDER F. MCGRONE.

Witnesses:

ALEXR. A. C. KLAUcKn, EDWARD H. KNIGHT. 

